Avocado: oh how I wish you were better.

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Comments

  • Unkept
    Unkept Posts: 65
    I think you miss the point if you constantly compare a bands recent work to it's commercial pinnacle.

    I think the guys wanted to get down one very treditional 'Rock and Roll' disc. I'm sure Eddie did with his love of Classic Rock,...I love these songs though. And for a band to be sixteen years in and still releasing disc's this solid is a testament to something..

    Just one more work in an impressive catalog. Already got TEN and frankly never listen to it...ever...

    Avacado sounds more spontaneous to my ear than most of their other discs, for better or worse...I've heard better versions of all these songs live, but the discs sort of feels like I'm hangin out with the band at rehearsal...

    For fans to have a disc this good to consider their worst album is really just an embarassment of riches...
  • HermanBloom
    HermanBloom Posts: 1,764
    LikeAnOcean wrote:
    This thread is just a sad opinion. Avocado rocks harder than the last 3 albums combined. Songs like Marker in the Sand, Army Reserve, Parachutes have more depth than you know. Your opinion officially sucks!
    agreed
    SLC 11/2/95, Park City 6/21/98, Boise 11/3/00, Seattle 12/9/02, Vancouver 5/30/03, Gorge 9/1/05, Vancouver 9/2/05, Gorge 7/22/06, Gorge 7/23/06, Camden I 6/19/08, MSG I 6/24/08, MSG II 6/25/08, Hartford 6/27/08, Mansfield II 6/30/08; Eddie Albany 6/8/09, 6/9/09; Philly 10/30/09, 10/31/09; Boston 5/17/10
    I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
  • darthvedder81
    darthvedder81 Posts: 688
    I'm amazed there are still those lamenting the loss of the "aggressive, angry" Pearl Jam. Folks, "No Code" is 12 years old. Pearl Jam shifted gears a long, long time ago. This band isn't going back to the "Ten" or "Versus" era they just aren't. "Avocado" is definitely in my top 3 of PJ albums because it rocks as hard as anything since "Vitalogy" but also gives us the diversity and intelligence of the later PJ catalog.
    So this life is sacrifice...
    6/30/98 Minneapolis, 10/8/00 East Troy (Brrrr!), 6/16/03 St. Paul, 6/27/06 St. Paul
  • lennybenny
    lennybenny Posts: 37
    darthvedder81 wrote:
    I'm amazed there are still those lamenting the loss of the "aggressive, angry" Pearl Jam. Folks, "No Code" is 12 years old. Pearl Jam shifted gears a long, long time ago. This band isn't going back to the "Ten" or "Versus" era they just aren't. "Avocado" is definitely in my top 3 of PJ albums because it rocks as hard as anything since "Vitalogy" but also gives us the diversity and intelligence of the later PJ catalog.

    I mentioned the 'aggressive' word in an earlier post, but perhaps passion was a better word. IMHO, it takes more than a few power chords to rock hard. 'Not for you' from 'Vitalogy' for example, isn't as up tempo as say 'Severed Hand', but there's just so much more feeling in that song.

    You mentioned 'No Code', and amazing album which obviously lacked the aggression of 'Vs' but was really interesting musically and you could tell the whole band were really passionate about everything about it.

    IMHO 'Avocado' just lacks something. It's ok, I don't hate it and some live versions are an improvement. I also liked the idea of the album being a narrative, telling the story of a a guy who quits the army (life wasted) and struggles to cope in the real world and is forced back in as a reserve and is killed. (Someone wrote a huge thread about this ages ago based on a interview with Ed)

    I'm rambling now so...
  • Murderers.
    Murderers. Posts: 1,382
    I guess Avocado is a sorta concept album.
    What the fuck is this world?
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    harmless_little_f*** wrote:
    Avocado, when it does rock hard, is straight-forward cock rock compared to these.

    I'm glad that someone else agrees. When I first heard Avocado, I couldn't believe how stupid and generic some of the songs/riffs were. And the live versions didn't change my opinion. It seems like the more generic the songs are and less chances the band takes, the more fans eat it up.
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    JWBusher wrote:
    I'm glad that someone else agrees. When I first heard Avocado, I couldn't believe how stupid and generic some of the songs/riffs were. And the live versions didn't change my opinion. It seems like the more generic the songs are and less chances the band takes, the more fans eat it up.

    Well, to be fair, a lot of Pearl Jam fans actually are just fans of rock music, and No Code and Binaural would probably be among the more avant-garde stuff they listen to. And it's not really fair to look down on them for that.

    That said, I, much like you, love Evacuation and Unemployable, and wish more fans shared that opinion so the band would play them more. But I also love Come Back.
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • Melissaphish
    Melissaphish Posts: 150
    I love it :-)

    Severed Hand is awesome. Marker in the Sand, Gone, Parachute....some great stuff....couple of duds (Big Wave, Unemployable) but overall a great album that is very well produced
    Boston Garden 5/25/06
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    Madison Square Garden 6/24/08 and 6/25/08
    Mansfield 6/30/08
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The answers are fatal......
  • moho
    moho Posts: 541
    harmless_little_f*** wrote:
    I like this album, I do... But it has very little depth compared to the others; none of the aggression; it's mixed in a totally lacklustre, conservative way; Matt hardly ever rocks hard (WWS is a major exercise in boredom-drumming - closed hi hats all the way, COME ON MAN this isn't jazz).

    Where is the intelligence in the songs, compared to songs like 'No Way' and 'Faithful' and 'Last Exit' and 'Grievance' and 'Long Road'.... you name it....

    Sorry everyone. I wish I felt differently.


    I feel exactly the same way. I haven't listend to the album in a few months at least, maybe even a year.

    The production is awful. The drumming i actually like, well some of it like Unemployable and Marker In The Sand. But the songs are uninspiring, not that memorable, Simple, boring etc.

    I think B O'B might help the next album come above this. Every other PJ album seemed to have come around over a very short time of creative input from all sides, and especialy from Brendan O'Brien. But Avacodo took a longer time to make, and was brooded over too much, not forced out in ne creative spurge like the other albums.
    JUST PLAY THE F***ING NOTE!!!
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    Rhinocerous Surprise wrote:
    Well, to be fair, a lot of Pearl Jam fans actually are just fans of rock music, and No Code and Binaural would probably be among the more avant-garde stuff they listen to. And it's not really fair to look down on them for that.

    That said, I, much like you, love Evacuation and Unemployable, and wish more fans shared that opinion so the band would play them more. But I also love Come Back.

    Well I was just speaking in generalities about the overwhelming majority here. You know if someone started a thread about "Evacuation", it would be full of meatheads saying "Evacuation is the worst song ever recorded", while generic-fests like "Life Wasted" and "Severed Hand" get one appreciation thread after another.
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    Melissaphish wrote:
    I love it :-)
    couple of duds (Big Wave, Unemployable)

    Duds my ass.
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    JWBusher wrote:
    Well I was just speaking in generalities about the overwhelming majority here. You know if someone started a thread about "Evacuation", it would be full of meatheads saying "Evacuation is the worst song ever recorded", while generic-fests like "Life Wasted" and "Severed Hand" get one appreciation thread after another.

    So what? Just cos Life Wasted and Severed Hand are straightforward rock songs doesn't make them bad. Sure, it'd be nice if Evacuation got a little more love, but I'm not above enjoying a dirty great rock song like Life Wasted either.
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    Rhinocerous Surprise wrote:
    So what? Just cos Life Wasted and Severed Hand are straightforward rock songs doesn't make them bad. Sure, it'd be nice if Evacuation got a little more love, but I'm not above enjoying a dirty great rock song like Life Wasted either.

    I think that Life Wasted is a really bad re-tread of Last Exit, and Severed Hand is one of the stupidest riffs Eddie has ever written. But that's just my opinion. I don't really have a problem with other people's opinions. Everybody is going to like different songs. I'm just surprised that the majority of Pearl Jam's fans seem content to enjoy the most derivative material, and anything even slightly experimental is automatically labelled "horrible". It makes me ashamed to be a Pearl Jam fan, but I guess that's just how it is. I wish there was a way to open people's eyes to the greatness of songs like Evacuation, In The Moonlight, Unemployable, Big Wave, etc...
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    JWBusher wrote:
    I think that Life Wasted is a really bad re-tread of Last Exit, and Severed Hand is one of the stupidest riffs Eddie has ever written. But that's just my opinion. I don't really have a problem with other people's opinions. Everybody is going to like different songs. I'm just surprised that the majority of Pearl Jam's fans seem content to enjoy the most derivative material, and anything even slightly experimental is automatically labelled "horrible". It makes me ashamed to be a Pearl Jam fan, but I guess that's just how it is. I wish there was a way to open people's eyes to the greatness of songs like Evacuation, In The Moonlight, Unemployable, Big Wave, etc...

    I always looked at the Severed Hand riff as Ed's tribute to Johnny Ramone. And I don't really see how Big Wave is so much more experimental than any of the so-called generic songs. But, hey, to each their own.:)
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun
    LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    Some people won't be happy until Pearl Jam starts trying to sound like Radiohead. Pearl Jam is a classic inspired rock n roll band. Even No Code is classic inspired rock n roll, just from all different genres. and within their style, they are still more experimental than 99% of the bands out there. you dont need electronica and synthetic beats to be experimental.

    they just need a good producer again ( i hope)


    And i think Severed Hand is the best song they've made in over a decade, but thats just me. yeah maybe i've heard similar, but so what? I dont care if you think its cock rock.
  • time to dream
    time to dream Posts: 26
    Just cuz the Album is amazing, doesn't mean I'll eat Avcados.

    Throw in Riot Act for a while....
    we can dream, and we can make dreams come true for others
  • time to dream
    time to dream Posts: 26
    Just cuz the Album is amazing, doesn't mean I'll eat Avcados.

    Throw in Riot Act for a while....
    we can dream, and we can make dreams come true for others
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    MrSmith wrote:
    Some people won't be happy until Pearl Jam starts trying to sound like Radiohead.

    That's not the case with me. I love Pearl Jam's "classic rock" sound. I just think Avocado is the "safest" and most derivative album they've made to date. They're slowly turning into the Foo Fighters, which has me worried. Hopefully the new album will be fresh and exciting.
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    JWBusher wrote:
    That's not the case with me. I love Pearl Jam's "classic rock" sound. I just think Avocado is the "safest" and most derivative album they've made to date. They're slowly turning into the Foo Fighters, which has me worried. Hopefully the new album will be fresh and exciting.

    Ouch.:p That's a little harsh when their second-to-last album was Riot Act, no?
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    Rhinocerous Surprise wrote:
    Ouch.:p That's a little harsh when their second-to-last album was Riot Act, no?

    True. Riot Act was a great album. But Avocado has me worried. I guess it all depends on the next one. ;)

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